


Blue and Yellow Roses

by orphan_account



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Canon Compliant, Cutesy, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Food, Levi Has A Sweet Tooth, M/M, Pre-Canon, eruri - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-28
Updated: 2014-08-03
Packaged: 2018-02-10 19:38:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2037447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Levi's face only held simple and innocent want when he looked at the little cake, with its blue and yellow flowers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Based off of a headcanon of mine and my friend (http://eruriofficial.tumblr.com/) that Erwin can actually bake pastries and sweets pretty well (kind of), and that Levi has a secret sweet tooth.

It was on one of their few days off that Levi had asked Erwin if they could go shopping- he 'needed some new cleaning supplies', apparently. Erwin readily agreed, since Levi almost never wanted to leave the survey corps base, let alone his room on days off. They were heading home, Levi content with the new duster he bought and the shampoo Erwin had convinced him to buy. Erwin was telling Levi about Hanji's latest endeavour when he noticed Levi wasn't even walking beside him anymore. Erwin sighed, not surprised. Levi often left without telling Erwin, interested in some store or spectacle, and eventually wandered back. Erwin looked behind him and saw Levi wasn't far off, staring at a store window. Erwin approached him and saw Levi was distracted by a bakery, one hand pressed lightly to the glass. His mouth was skewed, and it looked like he was debating over something in his head. Erwin noticed he was focusing mostly on the small cake near the back of the display, decorated with delicate yellow and blue flowers, arranged on the white frosting which had pink pastel details. Erwin tapped Levi’s shoulder, directing his attentions to him.

"Do you want one, Levi?"

Levi blinked at Erwin, and his fingers fidgeted with the hem of his shirt.

"No, I was just looking," he said, eyes avoiding Erwin’s face, "sweets and stuff like that, it's just a waste of money. They’re too damn expensive. And, um, they'll also make you fat," Levi added, pointedly look at Erwin’s stomach.

"...okay, then, Levi," Erwin said, trying to ignore that comment, "do you want to head back now?" Levi nodded, and followed Erwin after taking one last melancholy look at the bakery with the small cake.

Maybe it was because Erwin had known Levi for almost four years now, but it was fairly obvious that Levi had desired that cake, or at least one of the sweets on display. Now that Erwin thought about it, anytime they were at a gala or feast, Levi always had an inclination towards the sweeter foods and deserts. He’d take the sweets so subtly that Erwin hadn't truly noticed until he thought about it.

Erwin chuckled to himself while running these thoughts through his head later that night. It was surprising to find out Levi had such a sweet tooth. Levi was still in the bath, and Erwin could hear the gentle sounds of splashing water as he cleaned himself. Eventually Levi finished and entered the bedroom, drying his hair with a towel, wearing one of Erwin’s older button-up shirts and (probably) his boxer briefs underneath. Erwin looked up from his book that he hadn't really been reading.

"Ready for bed?" he asked.

"Yeah, I am," Levi answered, brushing a hand through his damp hair, "I tried out that weird shampoo you made me buy," Levi added as he headed towards the bed.

"Really? Let me smell it!" Erwin said as he grabbed Levi into a hug and pulled him down onto the bed with him. Levi tried to squirm out of Erwin’s grasp, but eventually gave up with an exasperated huff as Erwin buried his nose into Levi’s hair.

"It smells nice," he told Levi.

After that they fell into easy conversation, Erwin playing with Levi’s hair and Levi guiding Erwin’s hand to the other places he wanted to be petted. Erwin could tell Levi was growing tired when his responses were shorter and interrupted with yawns. Erwin yawned himself and stretched, reaching towards the oil lamp, dimming it until the room was dark.

"Good night," Erwin hummed as his slipped under the covers and snuggled up to Levi. Levi’s response was only a grunt, as he was barely awake at this point.

Before Erwin fell asleep he remembered Levi’s face as he looked at the vanilla cake decorated with its blue and yellow flowers. His face read of simple and innocent want, a kind of expression Erwin hadn't seen on Levi before. Levi never asked for much, and when he did it was always for a practical reason. He almost never wanted things just  _because._ Erwin felt a pang in his heart when he thought about how selfless Levi was. Of course he wouldn't have asked Erwin for a cake, they  _were_  expensive, and there was no real reason to buy it. Levi would feel guilty if he had gotten the cake or asked Erwin to buy it. If Erwin  _had_  bought the cake Levi would have gotten angry at Erwin for buying something so frivolous, too. Erwin let out a frustrated sigh. He wanted to make Levi happy.

 _I’ll have to think of an excuse to get it for him,_ Erwin wearily thought as he fell asleep that night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The best way to a man's heart is through his stomach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tooth-rotting fluff extraordinaire

Erwin stretched with a groan, his back creaking in protest. He put his pen down beside his paperwork, watching it roll until it hit the ink well. He had been working all morning, and right now a break sounded like a good idea. He turned to Levi, who was also sorting some paperwork.

"Would you like some tea, Levi?"

Levi took a second to answer, attention still on his work, “yeah. Tea would be nice,” he answered without looking up.

Erwin went to boil some water, giving him a moment to think. His mind immediately went to what happened the other day. He still wanted to get Levi a cake, but had no way to go about it. Levi would be upset at him if he blatantly bought Levi the cake. Erwin tapped his finger on the counter as the tea kettle began to whistle.

Just then, and idea formed in Erwin’s mind. If Erwin couldn’t buy one for Levi, he could easily make him one, right? Erwin’s thoughts were interrupted by the shrill whistle of the tea pot, demanding to be taken off the heat.

At least Erwin had some sort of plan.

 

* * *

 

 

It took him nearly a week, but Erwin now had all the ingredients to create the cake. Eggs, flour, milk, sugar…they had been expensive, but Erwin had made sure they wouldn’t cost more than just purchasing the cake from the bakery.

Erwin had all the ingredients and tools to create Levi’s present.

He had only baked several times as a child, really only helping his mother with the preparation of cookies and he had only helped once create a cake for his parents’ anniversary. The recipe was simple enough, but going by his memory would most likely result in failure. There was no helping it, then.

Erwin was going to have to ask for assistance.

Hanji was busy finishing up a report when Erwin approached them cautiously.

"Um, hello, Hanji."

Hanji’s head jutted up, ponytail swaying.

"Oh! Hey, Erwin! What’s up?"

"I needed some help with something that’s a bit, well, strange," Erwin ventured.

"Strange? Well, if you need help with something strange you definitely came to the right person!" Hanji laughed. Erwin smiled and nodded, sitting down beside Hanji so he could explain.

 

* * *

 

"A cake recipie? I’m not sure if I’d have anything like that…but I know how to make icing. It’s actually quite easy, you just mix some sugar and water and-"

"If you could make some sort of icing that’d be great," Erwin interrupted, "but I still need a recipe."

Hanji paused, lips pursed in contemplation.

"Mike!" they suddenly piped, causing Erwin to jump.

"Pardon me?"

"I know Mike’s grandmother owned a bakery, she must’ve known how to bake a cake! Maybe she even gave Mike her recipies! Family heirlooms, you know?"

As if summoned by their conversation, Mike stood behind Erwin, head cocked in interest.

"I heard my name. What’s going on?"

Erwin turned and opened his mouth, ready to explain, but Hanji quickly filled in for him.

"Erwin wants to make a cake. He doesn’t have a recipe but I bet you have one, you’re grandma being a baker and all."

Mike nodded while sitting at the other side of the table, interest piqued.

"That I do. She gave it to my mother who later gave it to me. I’ve never really baked but I still have it. Family heirloom, I guess," he said with a crooked smile, "I’d be happy to share."

"That would be great, thank you, Mike," Erwin said.

"Can I ask why you want to bake something?" Mike asked. Erwin felt his face slightly flush from embarrassment before answering.

"The truth is, I wanted to get a cake for L-," Erwin coughed, blushing more, “I wanted to get a cake for Levi, but it was too expensive. I thought baking one was a good idea," Erwin’s embarrassment caused him to stare pointedly at his lap.

Mike laughed and punched Erwin’s shoulder softly.

"The way to get to a man’s heart is through his stomach, eh? I’m sure he’ll like it, Erwin."

Erwin nodded, and Hanji abruptly stood up from their place on the table.

"Well, why’re we waiting? Let’s get started!"

 

* * *

 

Two hours later, Erwin stood before a small disaster.

The cake looked terrible. The dough had too much flour, making the pastry dry and chalky. The layers hadn’t been cut straight, resulting in a lop-sided cake. Even the frosting was awful, applied too thickly in some parts, and the flower decorations looked like they were applied by a child. The blue and yellow roses, with Erwin wanted to recreate, were clumsily applied by him, and they looked more like rippling blobs than anything.

Erwin felt the stab of disappointment in his heart as he looked at the cake, surrounded by a mess created in the barrack’s kitchen. He had asked Hanji and Mike to leave when he realized just how bad it was, not wanting them to see his shame.

_What a waste of time. What a waste of money_ , Erwin thought. He put his head in his hands with a defeated sigh.

_I can’t make Levi happy like this…_

And just then, adding insult to injury, Erwin heard Levi’s soft voice behind him.

"Hey…I was looking for you all day. What are you doing?"

Erwin turned, covering the cake with his body. Levi was only a few steps away from Erwin, already out of uniform.

"What happened in here? It’s a mess," he muttered, drawing a finger through the flour that thickly covered a counter. He wiped it off with a discarded cloth, face skewed with disgust.

"Were you cooking? I didn’t know the Commander had to cook", he scoffed. When Erwin didn’t reply Levi walked over to him, placing a hand on his arm in concern.

"Erwin? Is something wrong?" he asked.

Erwin sighed and turned to look at Levi, cupping his cheek with his hand.

"Oh, Levi, I just wanted to make you something nice," he said, and moved so Levi could see the disaster cake.

"I saw how much you wanted that little cake in the bakery, but it was so expensive that I knew you wouldn’t let me buy it for you. I thought I could bake a cake for you, but…just look at it. It’s awful. I’m sorry," Erwin said voice crestfallen. Levi didn’t respond right away, gaze fixated on the cake. Erwin waited for Levi to get angry, tell him how much he wasted, or laugh at him and his pathetic efforts.

"Erwin…no, it’s not awful. It’s wonderful," Levi said. He turned to Erwin, eyes bright with emotion. "No one’s ever made me something like this," he breathed, "it’s beautiful. Thank you, Erwin."

Erwin wasn’t sure what he heard was true, even when Levi was pulling him down for a long kiss, Levi’s lips parting softly. They pulled back to breathe, Levi cupping the back of Erwin’s head with his hands. He smiled at Erwin, the gesture small and full of gratitude, and Erwin knew that Levi meant what he said. Levi kissed him again, lingering long enough after to repeat his thanks in Erwin’s ear.

"Can I have some?" Levi asked.

"Of course," Erwin answered, grabbing a knife to cut the cake. He paused briefly to give Levi a kiss on his forehead. "That’s why I made it."

 

* * *

 

To Levi, it didn’t matter that the cake was dry and chalky. He didn’t mind how lop-sided it was and that the frosting was too thick in some places. He didn’t even care about how sloppy the decorations were, globs of frosting imitating flowers. Those kinds of things made no difference to him. Someone-Erwin-had made this cake for him, and that was the only thing that mattered. The cake was a disaster, ugly and tasting a bit like paper, but it was the best cake Levi ever had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments, kudos, suggestions, and critiques are always welcomed~  
> If you liked this you can check me out @ http://consensual-sexy-times.tumblr.com/

**Author's Note:**

> FYI: Blue roses can be a symbol for mystery and desire for something unattainable, while yellow roses generally mean joy and friendship. Interpret what you want (and tell me what you think!).  
> Comments, kudos, critiques, and suggestions are always welcomed~  
> If you liked this you can follow me @ http://consensual-sexy-times.tumblr.com/


End file.
